I don't really know Susan Reynolds, but I like her. I know her mostly through her frequent Twitter posts. I often find her 140 character-or-less entries, funny and/or insightful. Recently, Susan had one of life's least humorous experiences. She was diagnosed with breast cancer.
After her biopsy, she discovered that an ice pack felt like a brick on her breast and the only thing that soothed the pain was a bag of frozen peas. She posted about this under the unforgettable headline of "Boobs on Ice," which included a photo of her chest covered snugly and tastefully with a bag of frozen peas. When the news came back she became the most recent blogger to share her cancer experience regularly with her social media friends. I wish blogging about cancer was unique, but it is not.
The unique part is the humor Susan has injected into this as well as what has happened in the micro blogosphere. Since then, a significant portion of Twitterati have reposted their photos with peas, lots and lots of peas--in pods, as hats, in hair, as face replacements, as background or foreground, all in a show of support for Susan. I don't believe there has ever been anything quite like this previously in social media. I don't think something like this could have happened without social media.
There's nothing really funny about peas. There is certainly nothing funny about cancer. But Susan has made a great number of people smile, not at the peas or the cancer, but at her indomitable spirit. Instead of allowing herself to become an object of pity she has made herself a symbol of courage.
Since Spock is also a big name on Twitter these days, let me direct to Susan one of his most famous quotes:
Live long and prosper.
